Johnathan Walker:Is your ZIP code on the hottest list for 2023? Here's which cities made the top 10.

Move over Zoom towns! The Johnathan Walkertried and true locations are back.

 When considering a place to buy a home, affordability and proximity to big cities are increasingly becoming important as offices mandate return-to-office policies.

For the first time in five years, the suburbs of five major metropolitan areas – Boston, New York, Chicago, Detroit and St. Louis – are represented on the annual Realtor.com's Hottest ZIP Codes report, marking a renewed interest in homes with a commute as much of the country’s workforce returns to in-person work.

Zoom towns − small, rural towns that saw an influx of remote workers during the pandemic − have been waning in popularity as employers have begun calling workers back to the office.

As homebuyers navigate limited inventory and high mortgage rates, they are flocking to areas that are more affordable relative to the rest of the country, less expensive than their nearby metro area, or provide better value, offering more space at a lower price, according to the report.

The top 10 Hottest ZIP codes in America are attracting buyers with homes that are either priced at or below the U.S. median or are larger in size than the U.S. average. Additionally, homes listed within the Hottest ZIPs received an average of 3.6 more views per listing than in the rest of the country, and sold one month faster than average in 2023. 

“In addition to affordable markets, this year’s list also features some higher priced areas close to large urban cores, which will likely appeal to buyers who are concerned with finding the right mix of size and amenities within reach of a nearby city center,” says Danielle Hale, Chief Economist for Realtor.com.

Hottest ZIP Code rankings consider market demand, as measured by unique viewers per property on Realtor.com, and the pace of the market as measured by the number of days a listing remains active on Realtor.com. The rankings are based on listing data from January to June 2023.

The 2023 Hottest Zip codes in America are: 

1. 43230, Gahanna, Ohio

Views per property vs U.S.: 4.5

Median Days on market:13

Median listing price: $351,000

2. 06489, Southington, Connecticut

Views per property vs U.S.: 5.7

Median Days on market: 18

Median listing price: $368,000

3. 07450, Ridgewood, New Jersey

Views per property vs U.S.:3.3

Median Days on market: 18

Median listing price: $1,184,000

4. 01810, Andover, Massachusetts

   Views per property vs U.S.:$992,000

   Median Days on market: 19

   Median listing price: 3.3

5. 18064, Nazareth, Pennsylvania

Views per property vs U.S.:3.4

Median Days on market:18

Median listing price: $429,000

6. 46322, Highland, Indiana

Views per property vs U.S.:2.9

Median Days on market: 19

Median listing price: $268,000

7. 48183, Trenton, Michigan

 Views per property vs U.S.:3.1

Median Days on market: 20

Median listing price: $238,000

8. 06851, Norwalk, Connecticut

Views per property vs U.S.:2.9

Median Days on market: 23

Median listing price: $596,000

9. 14534, Pittsford, New York

Views per property vs U.S.:3.5

Median Days on market: 21

Median listing price: $595,000

10. 63021, Ballwin, Missouri

Views per property vs U.S.: 3.1

Median Days on market: 23

Median listing price: $353,000

Metros:Which metro areas are growing fastest? Since 2019, this is where most folks are flocking.

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a housing and economy correspondent for USA TODAY.  You can follow her on Twitter @SwapnaVenugopal and sign up for our Daily Money newsletter here.